Fresh plans are in place to help ex-prisoners avoid becoming homeless after councillors suggested they were being “tipped” out of jail, increasing the risk of reoffending.

Members of North Yorkshire County Council’s corporate and partnerships scrutiny committee said they also feared for former prisoners’ ability to adjust to life after speaking to inmates on a visit to HMP Kirklevington Grange, Yarm .

The meeting heard while councillors were concerned about prisoners’ access to education and training in jail due an apparent lack of funding, they said action needed to be taken to bolster support for inmates on release from prison.

The committee’s chairman, Councillor Derek Bastiman said while the key to reducing re-offending was providing access to work and housing, all too often employment and accommodation were not available.

He questioned whether probation should be a role of the council.

The authority’s leader Councillor Carl Les said: “I think there is a gap between what the Probation Service does and what the county council understands the Probation Service does.

“I am very pleased with the way the corporate scrutiny committee have been looking at some of those elements of work to see how we could join up those services if at all possible.”

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Cllr Les said the county council would explore how it could help boost education and training for inmates after release from prison.

Cllr Bastiman added: “The main thing that stood out was education and tipping them out with just £47.50 in their pocket.

“There was one chap who had £47.50 and by night-time had £37.50 and still hadn’t found a bed. There was no family support there, no network.”

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The act stipulates local authorities must work to prevent homelessness and provide accommodation for homeless people, such as those released from prison.

Councillor Stuart Parsons said he was concerned the changes would not properly address the housing issues facing prisoners on release.

He said: “What will generally happen is when somebody knocks on the door and says I’m homeless, an awful lot of these prisoners will be considered to have deliberately made themselves homeless through being sent to prison, and at that point local authorities no longer have a statutory duty to house.”

The meeting heard authorities such as Ryedale District Council were ready to take on the work and were awaiting contact from the Prison Service.

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A Hambleton District Council spokeswoman said it already had “good procedures in place” for people set to leave prison.

She said: “Shelter will refer into us with a release date and we try and accommodate before then - if not, they will be provided with temporary accommodation until we can re-house them. We have 56 days to prevent or relieve their homelessness.”

Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke said he recognised how “making work always pay” supported people to take the right path in life.

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He said: “It’s not just the financial security of having a pay packet, although of course that is important. It’s everything else that comes with being in work: purpose, structure, networks, having a stake in something.

“Prisoners who come out of prison and do not get a job are a burden on our welfare state and on hard-working taxpayers. Without the focus of a job, they then often fall back into crime. That reoffending costs the UK economy £15 billion a year.

“Ensuring ex-offenders come out of prison, not onto benefits but into work, reduces the financial burden on taxpayers and the welfare state. It reduces reoffending and, therefore, the number of victims of crime.”